Chicago Bears: 3 Potential defensive breakout candidates

The Chicago Bears defense is elite, but these three players could breakout

The Chicago Bears have one of the best defensive units in the NFL. The team was elite in 2018 with historic turnovers that the defense ran back to the house. The season ended abruptly with the famous double-doink by Cody Parkey, but that defense was good enough for a Super Bowl run.

The 2019 season was not as good, but the team was still a top-10 unit. After ranking first in Defensive DVOA, the defense dropped to eighth in 2019. Most importantly, the defense has gotten better on paper for 2020. With Khalil Mack, Kyle Fuller and Eddie Jackson on the team, the defense is clearly made up of some elite talents. None of these guys are going to breakout in 2020.

The addition of Robert Quinn adds another top defender to an already good mix. Tashaun Gipson when healthy is another proven commodity. Neither of them would be in the running for a breakout season either. There are however a few guys on the defense who could be considered breakout candidates.

I recently took a look at who on offense could breakout in 2020. Although there are more breakout candidates on that side of the ball, I narrowed it down to the three who I feel have the best shot. Switching over to the defensive side was a bit trickier, but three names came to mind as players who have not had “breakout” years, but maybe flashed potential or now has an opportunity to thrive in this Bears defense.